The 74-year-old told ITV’s Good Morning Britain he is being “shunned and ghosted” by Meghan and revealed he hoped that the Queen would step in to end the estrangement.

Image:Head chef Stuart Jones made time for a chat with the royal visitor

As well as sitting down to talk to some of the residents at Brinsworth House, Meghan visited the on-site hairdressers and asked if they did nails as well as hair.

She also joined in with Christmas songs and carols and impressed one resident by speaking in fluent Spanish.

Image:The duchess met actor Richard O’Sullivan

Rosario Serrano, 87, a former Flamenco dancer and singer, accompanied the music with a bangle made of bells.

She said she felt able to talk to the Duchess as a fellow performer, and that Meghan had said she understood because she was in the business before she met her husband.

Image:Meghan spent time talking to actress Josephine Gordon

Meghan told the chairman of the Royal Variety Charity, Giles Cooper, that it had reminded her of a similar visit she made back in Los Angeles.

Mr Cooper said: “There’s no question she felt amongst her own in some respects.

“And she mentioned a care home in LA that she visited before which reminded her very much of Brinsworth House, so she enjoyed it very much as much as the residents did.”

The Royal Variety Charity has a proud history of links with the Royal family.

King George V, the Queen’s grandfather, was its first patron and the Queen remains their patron today.

And last month, Prince Harry and Meghan attended the Royal Variety Show.

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Before departing, Meghan got into the Christmas spirit by using her calligraphy skills to help with a festive collage. On a piece of paper shaped like a bauble, she wrote “Merry Christmas Love Meghan” in decorative writing.